1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server machine connected to a client machine which receives the feeding of information by a communication line, the client machine connected to the server machine which feeds information by the communication line, a server program storage medium which stores a server program to allow a computer to operate as the server machine and a client program storage medium which stores a client program to allow the computer to operate as the client machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, personal computers (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as PC) have been mounted with a large number of hardware in addition to a large number of software. For this reason, there have been many occasions of getting into a trouble during the use of the PC or running into a problem while using the PC. When running into whatever trouble or problem, the user of the PC has attempted to solve the trouble or the problem by performing a failure diagnosis by using a tool to diagnose the trouble of the hardware of the PC or by searching a cause of problem by referring to a correlation table (Q & A) of questions and answers provided inside the PC.
However, the user has few occasions of using the diagnosis tool or referring to the Q & A unless there occurs any trouble and, even if occasion demands, it is difficult for him to promptly manipulate the diagnosis tool or to aptly refer to the Q & A. The existing situation is such that it is far from arriving at solving the trouble or settling the problem.
In order to cope with such a situation, at the side of the PC manufacture, there is provided a telephone support window to receive various questions from the user and arrangements to receive telephone talks are established. Nevertheless, there are many cases where telephones are hard to connect due to a rush of telephone talks and it cannot be said that service arrangements are not enough for the user.
In recent years, many PC have come to be connected to communication lines such as the Internet, and there are some cases where a system to download the problem solution via the Internet is adapted (see: http://vcl.vaio.sony.co.jp./info/cyber/index.html). However, in this case, when any problem on the PC is to be solved, when it is not solved by retrieving the previously downloaded problem solution, the problem solution is updated by downloading a recent problem solution and a retrieval is required to be made again by using the updated data. In recent years, as described above, both hardware and software have been enhanced quantity and quality-wise, and the problem solution data has become extremely large so that it takes a time to download the data and requires a very large memory amount to store it inside the PC.
On the other hand, there exists another system (see; http://www.gw2k.co.jp./helpspot/iwr/index.shtml; note that this has been changed to the current URL, http://jp.gateway.com/helpspot/iwr/), wherein the problem solution is stored at the server and, the information regarding the problem of the user is inputted on its home page, and the server retrieves the solution for the problem and presents it to the PC of the user via the Internet and, if the problem is not solved in spite of that, that information is transmitted to the supporter of the manufacturer's side.
In this case, it is not necessary to download the problem solution itself and the time required to download it is saved. Further, since there is no need to store the problem solution itself, it saves a memory capacity. However, there is a problem that the PC which not connected to the Internet is unable to receive the services. Further, even in the case of the PC which is connected to the Internet, even for a small matter, it is necessary to open the home page of the server via the Internet and enter minute data there so as to ask a question, and this results in a problem that it is difficult to use the services provided in this system. Further, in the case where the public line (telephone line) is used for utilizing the Internet, the line is required to be always connected for the problem solution, and it creates a cause of increasing a fee collection.
In view of the above described situation, the object of the present invention is to provide a client machine, a server machine, a client program storage medium and a server program storage medium that stores a client program or a server program which allow a computer to operate as the client machine and the server machine, that constitute a system capable of accurately drawing out an answer according to a level of question of the user.
A client machine of the present invention which achieves the above described object is connected to a server machine by a communication line, the client machine displaying an answer screen corresponding to the question of the user, comprising:
a primary answer section for receiving an operation of the user and finding an answer corresponding to the operation of the user inside the client machine and displaying a primary answer screen which indicates that answer;
a client information accumulation section for accumulating the client information which indicates the user operation and /or the details of the primary answer screens according to the user operation received by the primary answer section;
a secondary answer request section for transmitting the client information accumulated in the client information accumulation section to a server machine and requesting the server machine to answer the user's question; and
a secondary answer section for obtaining the answer transmitted from the server machine according to the request for the answer to the server machine by the secondary answer request section and displaying the secondary answer screen which indicates that answer.
The client machine of the present invention obtains the answer by using the primary answer section which first finds an answer inside the client machine and, if that answer is not satisfactory, asks the server machine a question. By providing such a two-stage system, even in the case where the server machine is cut off from the communication line, a sufficient answer can be obtained for a question of a certain level, and the trouble of making an inquiry to the sever machine for a simple question can be prevented.
Further, in the present invention, the client information which indicates the user operation to ask a question and/or the details of the answer of the primary answer section for the user operation is accumulated, and that information is transmitted to the server machine when an enquiry is made to the server machine and, therefore, the operation of asking again the server machine a question from the very beginning is omitted, and the server machine can prepare an answer upon having a knowledge about what kind of action was taken in order to find an answer in the primary answer section, so that more accurate answer can be prepared.
Here, in the above described client machine of the present invention, it is preferable that a communication start instruction section for starting a communication with the above described server machine is provided, and the secondary answer section transmits the client information to the server machine according to the operation of the communication start instruction section. In this case, it is further preferable that the above described primary answer section displays the communication start instruction section inside the primary answer screen which at least indicates the final answer, which can answer to the question of this time of the user in the primary answer section.
In the above described client machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the client information accumulated by the client information accumulation section is transmitted to the window which receives the question of the user and, in this case, it is preferable that that client information is transmitted to the window by e-mail.
Further, it is preferable that the above described client machine of the present invention receives the question from the user regarding a trouble occurred in that client machine and displays the answer screen which indicates the answer aiming at the solution of the trouble.
Further, in the above described client machine of the present invention, the secondary answer section displays a mailing instruction section to activate an e-mail software in the secondary answer screen, and
it is preferable that the e-mail software is activated according to the operation of the mailing instruction section by the user on the secondary answer screen including the mailing instruction section, and an e-mail link section to deliver a mail address of the window on the e-mail which receives the question of the user is provided in the e-mail software.
In this case, it is preferable that the above described mailing instruction section is displayed inside the secondary answer screen which at least indicates the final answer, which can answer to the question of this time of the user in the server machine.
In this way, in the case where even the answer from the server machine is insufficient, by being linked with the e-mail software, the system becomes convenient to operate and the operation of closing this system and activating again the e-mail software can be omitted.
Here, in the constitution comprising the above described e-mail link section, it is preferable that the client information accumulation section accumulates the user operation and/or the history of the secondary answer screen display according to the user operation as the client information, and
the e-mail link section delivers the above described mail address to the e-mail software and, further, delivers the client information accumulated by the client information section.
Even after making an enquiry to the server machine, the client information is continuously collected and delivered to the e-mail software, and the supporter who receives an e-mail prepared by the e-mail software refers to that client information and can make an adequate answer.
Here, while the present invention may reply to the question of whatever field it is, as a typical example, the client machine of the present invention may be a machine for receiving the question from the user regarding the trouble occurred in the client machine and displaying the answer screen which indicates the answer aiming at the solution of the trouble.
The server machine of the present invention which achieves the above described object is connected to the client machine which receives the feeding of information by the communication line and transmits the answer to the question of the user of the client machine to the client machine,
wherein the above described client machine receives the operation of the user and finds the answer according to the operation of the user inside the client machine and displays the primary answer screen which indicates that answer, and accumulates the user operation and/or the client information which indicates the history of the primary answer screen according to the user operation and transmits the client information to this server machine so as to request the answer to the question of the user, comprising:
a client information section which receives the transmitted client information;
an answer specifying section for specifying the answer to the question of the user of the client machine based on the client information received by the client information section; and
an answer transmitting section for transmitting the specified answer by the answer specifying section to the client machine.
The server machine of the present invention receives the client information and retrieves the answer based on that client information and therefore a possibility of finding more adequate answer is enhanced.
Further, the client program storage medium of the present invention which achieves the above described object stores a client program, which is executed inside the computer connected to the server machine which feeds information by the communication line, and which allows the computer to operate as the client machine to indicate the answer screen according to the question of the user,
wherein the client program medium stores the client program to allow the above-described computer to operate as the client machine comprising;
the primary answer section which receives the operation of the user, finds the answer according to the operation of the user inside that computer and displays the primary answer screen which indicates that answer;
the client information accumulation section which accumulates the client information which indicates the user operation and/or the details of the primary answer screen display according to the user operation received by the primary answer;
the secondary answer request section which transmits the client information accumulated in the client information accumulation section to the server and requests the server machine to answer to the question of the user; and
the secondary answer section which obtains the answer transmitted from the server machine according to the request for the answer to the server machine by the secondary answer request section and displays the secondary answer screen which indicates that answer.
Further, the server program storage medium of the present invention which achieves the above described object stores a server program, which is executed inside the computer connected to the client machine which receives the feeding of information by the communication line, and which allows the computer to operate as the server machine to transmit the answer to the question of the user of the client machine to the client machine,
wherein the above described client machine receives the operation of the user, finds the answer according to the operation of the user inside that client machine and displays the primary answer screen which indicates that answer, and accumulates the client information which indicates the user operation and/or the history of the primary answer screen display according to the user operation and transmits the client information to this server machine so as to request the answer to the question of the user, and
wherein the server program storage medium stores the server machine program to allow the above described computer to operate as the server machine comprising:
the client information receiving section which receives the transmitted client information;
the answer specifying section which specifies the answer to the question of the user of the client machine based on the client information received by the client information receiving section; and
the answer transmitting section which transmits the answer specified by the answer specifying section to the client machine.
The client program storage medium of the present invention includes all the program storage mediums storing the client programs corresponding to various modes to the client machine of the present invention and, further, the server program storage medium of the present invention includes all the program storage mediums storing the server programs corresponding to various modes of the server machine of the present invention.